Colloquium Details
Consistent and Efficient Visual-Inertial State Estimation and Perception
Speaker: Chuchu Chen, University of Delaware
Location: 60 Fifth Avenue 150
Date: March 17, 2025, 2 p.m.
Host: Lerrel Pinto, Ludovic Righetti
Synopsis:
As cameras and IMUs are becoming ubiquitous, visual-inertial systems hold great potential in a wide range of applications from extended reality (XR) to autonomous robots. At the core of these systems lies the state estimation algorithm, which aims to estimate the state (i.e., pose) of the sensing platform and the environment by fusing sensor information. Despite significant progress in visual-inertial navigation systems (VINS) and VI-SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) over the past decade, critical aspects of system design remain underexplored, limiting their practical deployment.
This talk will present advancements in the design of consistent VINS estimation algorithms, where consistency is even more critical than accuracy for ensuring robust and reliable performance. I will also discuss novel techniques for improving estimation efficiency on next-generation edge devices, considering constraints in size, weight, and power (SWaP). Additionally, I will explore the role of multi-sensor fusion and scene understanding in enhancing the reliability of autonomous systems in diverse real-world applications.
Note: In-person attendance only available to those with active NYU ID cards.
Speaker Bio:
Chuchu Chen is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering (ME) at the University of Delaware (UD). She earned her bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Harbin Engineering University. Her expertise spans nonlinear state estimation, spatial perception, probabilistic sensing, calibration, and navigation for robots, autonomous systems, and mobile devices. Chuchu aims to develop intelligent systems that can reason and interact in complex environments. Her work has earned several awards, including being a Best Paper Award Finalist at ICRA 2024 and a Best Student Paper Award Finalist at RSS 2023. She also receives the University of Delaware Doctoral Fellowship for Excellence (2024).